My 240 gallon reef cracked...I NEED HELP!!

pbetito

pbetito

New member
Last night my new 240 gallon glass reef tank got a crack that ran from the bottom right front corner to the top about three feet over. I spent the next 8 hours moving all the sand(600 lbs.), rock (250 Lbs.) and corals and fish into my acrylic 165 that I was looking to sell and into my 60 gallon that I was also looking to sell. The problem is now that I had my vho lighting built into the canopy on the 240 and have only 260 watts of p.c. for the two tanks housing all my stuff. I am hoping that I can either buy some lighting cheap from someone or borrow or perhaps rent someones back up lighting. The tank that I need to light is 70 in. long 18 in wide and like 28 in. tall. Here are some pictures of my disaster. Also if anyone knows of a place to get a cheap 240 gallon standard 8x2x2 glass or acrylic tank please let me know.
Thanks,
Paul
 
oops. I would check the integrity of your stand before buying a new 240. A stand that's not flat may cause stress that could cause a tank to crack.
 
The system was running for like 6 years before I bought it. The crack was probably caused when I moved it....
I will check though...
Thanks
 
Looks like you have mostly softy's. It should be okay under lower lighting for awhile. I would worry about all that sand you moved into those tanks housing your corals now. Disturbed sand beds can stir up a lot of nasty stuff.
 
I have no sand in the tank housing the corals...the sand is in the large tank where it should be safe and have time to settle. The problem is that i need light because it will be two weeks until I can get a replacement tank and 260 watts of power compacts is not gonna do the trick in a tank that deep. If anyone has a p.c or m.h. back up ballast they want to sell, I am in DESPERATE need.
Thanks,
Paul
 
I am considering that...The problem is that they are mounted 4x4 for an 8 foot tank..If I have no other options I will probably do something with them...
 
Some 16-18gauge wire, staple gun(optional), wood screws, plank of wood, hammer and nails, and a saw and you could break that fixture down and retro it with some 4ft'rs in a few hours. The cool thing about doing it is would be just as easy to later extend it out back on your 240 when its up and ready; no other parts required as you already have the equipment.If your scatterbrained like me a project like that will take about 3-4 hours.

-Justin
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8459184#post8459184 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pbetito
The system was running for like 6 years before I bought it. The crack was probably caused when I moved it....
I will check though...
Thanks
Click to expand...

The old location + stand may have been level, but when you moved it to it's "new" location, that + the stand may not have been level.

What about the move makes you think that you broke it then ?
 
The move was rough as the tank traveled 100 miles in a durango.... However I am looking into the stand location and if it is level...I am hoping to replace with acrylic...but....its a fortune!!
 
what kind of ballast are you looking for? I still have one 2x65W PC ballast, two 250W MH ballast, two spider reflector and a workhorse 5 that I can lend u for the moment, I don't have any extra bulb tho. if u need it let me know
 
I have bulbs for the 250 watt m.h.'s...I would love to borrow or buy them if they are available...Either would be great...Someone else is lending me a 260 p.c. so that would easily be enough light to maintain both tanks until I get my replacement... I live in Carmichael.....when could we get together?
Also...If any very expierienced aquarists want to come over to my house and help me diagnose what the hell happened I would greatly appreciate it and would give them like 20 pounds or so of live sand....
 
out of curiosity, was the crack visible at all before you put in the water/sand ? Or did it show up later ? How long after you filled the tank did the crack show up ?

I am askig becuase we just moved a very large tank ourselves and are planning to set it up soon, so any info would be very helpful.

Thanks :)
 
I can come over and use my lazer level and check for level on your stand. Its my lazer that i use to set up the levelness when I set up forms to pour concrete for patios. Also got a 75 gallon tank and stand if you need to borrow for anything. let me know-Lance
 
As far as cheap tanks- check CL in Los Angeles under aquarium. There is a store down there selling 240 glass for $499. all there prices are DIRT cheap on corals and fish.
 
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